Meet Sally & Nick, two beautiful New Yorkers with an affinity for flora, fauna and good company. The couple held their wedding at the verdant Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens in West Palm Beach, Florida. It was the perfect backdrop of natural beauty for this marriage, full of charming toasts, good vibes, and one stunning non-traditional wedding dress. Sally picked out a long black dress, beautifully embellished in a colorful pattern from Sak's Fifth Avenue to be her wedding dress and she could not have chosen a better fit. Unless we're talking about the groom that is- these two seem perfect for each other!
Dayna Bowers, Comedian
There are two things you'll first notice about Dayna Bowers. These two traits are 1. her gorgeous light blue eyes that are probably the pathways to heaven. And 2. her sweet sweet Southern accent. And if you get the chance to say hello to Dayna, prepare yourself for a long goodbye- because this babe was born in the all-knowing-ways of North Carolina Southern Hospitality. Now that she's landed on the West Coast you can check her out in LA at the UCB's musical improv group. RESPECT. So much to love!
Caroline Macey, Actress
Perhaps you've seen her give birth on Grey's Anatomy or reveal her acting chops in another show that makes for an extensive IMDB. And if you've met Caroline in person, then you were in for a treat. This sweet vegan momma (of two!) emits a golden glow and has a dynamic energy. Can't wait to see where this adorable + sexy working mom and actress is going next! XO
Erin Cantelo
I love shooting with Erin! Actress, avid hiker, writer and champion of the best self living on Hollywood Blvd.
Window Light
I drove over to Morganton, NC on a chilly winter day to meet her. She greeted me in a cozy poncho, some coffee and pretty soon we were well into our shoot. I love that we chose to create these shots in her home, the environment reflecting her own minimal aesthetic.
Blue Cactus Music Video Release
Last October I had the pleasure of working with Steph Stewart and Mario Arnez of Blue Cactus, based in Durham NC. We shot this video during one long October afternoon outside & around Asheville, NC. These guys are a dream team and a dream to work with- they make modern classic country sound sooo good. The vid for the song "I Never Knew Heartache (and then I knew you)" premiered yesterday via Paste Magazine. See the article here. Their full album will be released 2/24 & is available for pre-order now.
Old Year New Year
2017, dearest darling, I welcome you. Photos from a trip to Wadmalaw Island, SC one of my most treasured places... See the link to ongoing photos from past years here. Without cell service and with great friends, we slipped out of 2016 and into this brave new year on the best note I could ask for. xx
Highschool Firefighters
Banning Highschool in Southeast Los Angeles has bolstered their curriculum with a new class. That class? Firefighting. They've teamed up with the LAFD whose own firefighters (male + female) go to the school to provide both tactical and classroom instruction. One of my favorite parts from photographing that morning was seeing how into it the female students were, and the positive example the two female firefighters held for them. Listen + read the story for NPR here: http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/10/05/493141278/can-a-school-district-help-diversify-a-fire-department
Ruthie + Tom
Blue skies and golden leaves surrounded these two expert hand-holders at their wedding on October 29th in Tuckaseegee, North Carolina at Castle Ladyhawke. If you hold your partner's hand about as naturally as you breath air, something tells me it's meant to last. Ruthie & Tom, it was such a treat to meet you both and to be welcomed into a crowd of friends and family who were so ready to celebrate you. They clearly love y'all to pieces and it's easy to see why.
Katie + Wil
I met Wil and Katie during my time at UNC Chapel Hill, building individual friendships with them thumbing through records on Franklin St, winning NCAA championships, hitch-hiking to Cocoa Beach FL, late-night talks over cinnamon toast crunch, 80's dance parties and crisp Carrboro bike rides. Years later, their magnetic draw brought them together in Los Angeles, and before long these beautiful, quality humans found themselves engaged (beside a castle in Prague no less)! So when they decided where to get married, there was nothing like their mutual love of home and commitment to family that made a North Carolina wedding the clear choice. They did it right. Everything looked and felt perfect. The wedding held a golden glow the whole time... maybe it was the October air but it was probably Katie's smile. (And ALL the friends who love these two deeply.) I love seeing how happy these two friends make each other. To both of y'all, congratulations!
Location: Starlight Meadow near Burlington, NC. Dress by BHLDN.
The Feast, Gerton NC
I love that I'm from North Carolina y'all. Especially when going home is like this... friends throwing a post apocalyptic themed feast on top of a mountain.
Hana
Jensen's Center Echo Park. Styling by Anna Calloway.
gracie a la sophia
The prep photos are always some of my favorite pictures from a wedding... kind of similar in spirit to why christmas eve feels so special... the anticipation, the prep, the (relative) calm, the community and those beautifying details that are so special. I already posted a few instax that I loved of gracie getting ready in Granada, Nicaragua... but decided that's not enough! Here are a few more off my mark ii. Gracie... a Sophia Loren of her own kind.
Little big bro
A little sister is on the way for little Ben, Jennifer & Chris! So amazing watching this family grow.
Nica Love
Andalusian ponies, your daily catch, fresh fruits, gorgeous flora + volcanoes simmering with molten lava and Nicaragua is off to the races. What race is that though? Being amazingly chill I believe. 9 days in this Central American country and I was able to check back in with myself in a much needed way. Between timing a $10 massage to the crazy relaxing sound of a downpour outside, dining in the glowing lamplight of the streets of Granada, pressing the water out of fresh cheese and feeling wildly dumbstruck by the fact that molten lava IS A REAL THING... Nica allowed me the time & space to connect with nature after circling around the same streets of LA for so long, pining after mediocre parking spaces. It's lush, it's beautiful, the rum is a little too delicious... & I really just wanted to squeeze the oceans they were such a beautiful site. A powerful lullaby you are, Nica.
Julie, Nir & Eli
About a year ago, I photographed a maternity shoot with Julie & Nir near their home in Charlotte, NC... Today little Eli has joined the ranks of this beautiful family and boy is he cute. We retraced many of our steps from the previous year and it was pretty incredible having this little one along for the ride this time.
XO
Graciela, Getting Ready in Granada
What a classic beauty. Graciela went back to her home country of Nicaragua to marry her new hubby Lucas Miller- and not just once. But twice! The first wedding was held in an old chapel on her papa's finca near Santa Cruz. The second was held at Playa Marsella on the beach at sunset a couple days later... Both were truly gorgeous and the week was just amazing... I got to know some incredible women even better, tear up at family blessings, gaze inside a molten lava volcano, connect with the earth, snuggle puppies and confront my fear of surfing. And to flip the script, I was a bridesmaid for both! So while a local photographer shot the ceremonies I kept my instax handy :) And after scanning in stacks of this exotic central american loot I really loved this set of Gracie getting ready in Granada... timeless & beautiful. The dressing robe is BHLDN and makeup was by Mia. #nicaweddinglove
Cantelo, Headshots
After playing tag-team for a couple months Erin and I finally connected to create some sweet new headshots! She has a fabulous apartment in Hollywood with wonderful light so we shot these over there to create some more commercial looks for her. All digital (5d mark ii with 85 1.2 L lens) except for the 2nd one (we finished a roll of Kodak Portra 160 outside near the coveted parking area). The first one is my fave me thinks. I love her look!
Mexico City is in Full Bloom
In the courtyard of Frida Kahlo's home Angel Trumpets bloom against the painted blue walls. While across the city and a safe $6 uber drive away, the prickly cacti are in full glory at the UNAM campus in the university's extensive (and free!) botanical gardens. There is a flower market somewhere between all that with fresh cuts from the generous hands of their shop owners.
The time is oh so fresh to explore all that is Mexico City. I spent 4 nights here en route to Cuba with my two girlfriends and was floored by just how awesome this place was. Low cost of living. Huge arts scene. Was a breeze to get around (we took an uber to an ancient pyramid WTF) -uber has an awesome +safe +cheap presence which literally helped make everything we wanted to do happen with zero notice. The Aztec Teoticuan pyramids are about an hour outside of the city, blessed with the Sun & the Moon... arrive early if you want to climb them both. We scaled to the top of the Sun and that was a feat of itself. Now, to create what could only be the best day ever, later that evening we placed ourselves on the primary colored hard plastic seating of an old school wrestling ring for a Lucha Libre match - only to satiate an unknown bucket list item of seeing men in shiny bright spandex pounce on each other. YASSS. What a treat!! Thank you Katharine's hairdresser for the suggestion. [MYSTICO!]
These few snaps of film are place holders for the spectacle that was 4 days in this huge and vibrant town. We stayed at the most adorable air bnb in Zona Rosa- which if you're thinking of heading out there for a long weekend... just stay in this neighborhood & you'll be setting off on the right foot. And perhaps most importantly, to flow just-like-so between the murals, and bikes, and dancing, and bommmmb tacos, and museums ....be sure to sample all the varietals of Mezcal you can. The good stuff down there is dangerously smooth!
Bald Head Island, A Beautiful & Blustery NC Wedding
Kate + Hayes. Groom, Hayes, used to take a ferry to school from Bald Head Island to the mainland of NC when he was growing up. Years later, it seemed only natural that these two, would get married in an environment as beautiful and natural as the two of them. Welcome Kate's masterful planning, two helpful families coming together, and ferries full of friends and guests bringing all the supplies one would need on an island that runs on golf carts rather than cars. The fact that there was a lot of rain surrounding the weekend, just added to the adventure of landing on a wild island surrounded by so many friends and cocktails (and babies!) in one place. Much love to these dear friends... I wish you could get married again, if only to be able to do it all over again ;)
Lodging was reserved via Air Bnb, food was provided by friends & family, and Kate's gorgeous dress is by BHLDN. xx